Singhal said Advani took out the Rath Yatra, which led to the demolition of Babri Masjid, to derive personal political gains.

According to him, it is high time Advani should think about stepping down from the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Commenting on the apparent downfall of the BJP as a strong political force, the VHP leader said the party had deviated from its founding policies and that is the reason why it was ‘sinking’.

Singhal’s remarks have come at a time when the BJP has been going through rough weather and controversies have become an order of the day for the saffron party.

The drubbing of BJP for the second consecutive time in Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, revelation on Advani’s lie on the Kandhar episode, Jaswant Singh’s controversial book on Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the former’s expulsion from the party, criticism of senior BJP leaders and strategists from within and the RSS etc, have hit the party’s image badly.

‘BJP didn`t protect Hindu interests’

BJP lost the Lok Sabha polls as it
failed to protect the interests of Hindus, Ashok
Singhal said, adding, "BJP lost as it did not protect interests of Hindus.
People rejected the party for that reason."

"For saints like us who protect Hindu religion, BJP is an
opposition party," Singhal said. "There is a need for a party
which protects interests of Hindus," he added.

BJP lost because it did not raise the issue of Hindutva
during the Lok Sabha elections, the VHP leader said.

Singhal described as "fake" the commission which has
said the Ishrat Jahan encounter was fake.

Gujarat government has received flak from the enquiry
commission constituted to investigate the 2004 encounter of
five people including Ishrat Jahan, who hailed from
neighbouring Thane district.

The VHP leader also said that Pakistan founder Md Ali
Jinnah was responsible for the partition of the country, along
with Lord Mountbatten.